The stars of the reality television show "Little People, Big World" share personal experiences and offer advice for building strong family values based on love, respect, and mutual support.
Anyone who watched part three in the Star Wars movie trilogy, Return of the Jedi, saw Matt Roloff. His handicap helped land him a part as one of the diminutive, furry Ewoks. In Matt's biography Against Tall Odds, readers view a world of fast-walking giants, where common obstacles for most are mountains for little people, and stares from strangers are the norm. Through perseverance and faith, Matt shows that success comes not by trying to be what you're not, but by being what God has made you.
One of the greatest gifts you can give your children is a strong sense of personal values. Helping your children develop values such as honesty, self-reliance, and dependability is as important a part of their education as teaching them to read or how to cross the street safely. The values you teach your children are their best protection from the influences of peer pressure and the temptations of consumer culture. With their own values clearly defined, your children can make their own decisions -- rather than imitate their friends or the latest fashions. In Teaching Your Children Values Linda and Richard Eyre present a practical, proven, month-by-month program of games, family ctivities, and value-building ecercises for kids of all ages.
Body image is a pervasive preoccupation for almost all teens. Nearly every teen has dealt with issues of height, weight, skin, and other features. And many teens have undertaken diets, engaged in body building programs, or resorted to surgery to alter their appearances. In Body Image and Appearance: The Ultimate Teen Guide, author Kathlyn Gay addresses all of these concerns to provide teens with a healthy way to think about themselves. This book tackles such topics as the cultural standards of what a 'perfect' body should look like, methods for changing appearances, and matters related to height, such as dwarfism and height discrimination. Throughout the book, Gay offers advice on how teens can learn to be comfortable with their bodies and move beyond unhealthy preoccupations with size and appearance.
From the stars of TLC's critically acclaimed reality show Little People, Big World comes heartfelt advice to help today's families overcome life's obstacles together and grow closer in the process. The Roloffs are no ordinary family. Parents Matt and Amy are little people raising four children: a pair of teenage twins, Jeremy and Zachary, one of whom is average size and one who is little; preteen daughter, Molly; and the youngest, Jacob. Being part of this unique family -- where something as simple as shopping for back-to-school clothing can be a real challenge -- has presented no shortage of struggles, and in Little Family, Big Values the Roloffs share the values that have helped them and become the cornerstone of their bond. Through family stories, each member of the family weighs in on the importance of these values in their life and the lessons -- sometimes hard -- they've learned in doing their best to live by them: Amy tells of the decision she made, out of love for her family, to put her career as a teacher on hold and become a stay-at-home mom. Matt shares how keeping faith that God has a plan for him has helped him tackle any family setbacks with confidence. Jeremy describes the respect he feels for his brother Zach when he sees him on the soccer field giving players twice his size a run for their money. Zachary recognizes his siblings' love for him when they willingly sacrifice a Christmas at home to be with him at the hospital for surgery. Matt's mother, Peggy, reveals how his perseverance with a boyhood paper route helped him become the successful businessman he is today. In these and other inspiring stories, the Roloffs show us why they've become such a beloved American family and offer advice on how all families can put these values into practice to achieve a greater level of love, respect, and understanding -- no matter what their size.
Paradox for Life Review explains how three different bases for self-esteem affect the accuracy of self-esteem as the lens through which older adults view their reminiscences. James J. Magee describes how life review groups have used paradoxes drawn from poetry, drama, word play, intergenerational family dynamics, Eastern and Western mystical traditions, and personal life experiences to enable members to discover new ways to accept their histories with compassion and wisdom.
An unpredictable and entertaining tale of secrets, desires, and forgiveness spanning four generations of an American family. In WASPy Larkspur, New Jersey, social expectations and decorum rule, and Marjorie and Dunsfield Thornden are the envy of their neighbors. Their daughters Claire and Cat set the small town’s social calendar by throwing tastefully lavish family parties year round. Because it’s 1977, underage debauchery is to be expected—and Cat and Claire’s children, Bizzy and Choo, are at its very center. Underneath their well-maintained veneer, the Thorndens are quite dysfunctional, but have always had their entitlement to fall back on. And while some are finally ready to accept what they’re willing to give up for the life that they think they deserve, secrets that should’ve never been kept—especially not from each other—are bubbling unattractively to the surface. So when a scandal threatens to unravel this tight-lipped family and their secrets, the Thorndens will have to decide how much they’ll let decorum rule social mores dictate their decisions and how far they’ll go to keep some secrets just that. Any choice they make could mean freedom from expectations but will change the course of their family's legacy forever.